10 Most Relaxing Things to Do in the Marshall Islands

The ultimate relaxation activity, let's start as strong as a masseuse's fingers with Elegance Spa, Hair Salon and Aesthetics. This full-service spa and wellness clinic tucked inside Marshall Islands Resort in Majuro offers everything from relaxing massages to advanced aesthetic treatments, all at surprisingly reasonable prices.

Whether you're after a 30-minute foot soak or a two-hour full-body massage, the menu covers a wide range of services, including hot stone massage, hydro head massage, hot oil treatment with relaxing essential oils, and sports massage.

On the aesthetics side, the clinic offers CO2 resurfacing, exilift, diode hair removal, electrocautery of warts and non-invasive body contouring treatments. Hair, nails, waxing (including Brazilian) and skincare rounds out what is a genuinely comprehensive offering for a spa of this size.

Prices are reasonable too, making it one of the more affordable pampering options on the island.

Just like knitting, crochet or beadwork, making Marshallese crafts is a soothing process. The best opportunity to learn how to do it yourself is at the Saturday workshop with Elefa Handicraft.

Local ladies craft beautiful jewellery and keepsakes right before your eyes using shells, while coconut fibres and other materials sourced from Majuro and the outer islands.

Earrings and flowers are the most popular items, alongside necklaces, bracelets and magnets, with special pieces from Arno Atoll also available. What makes this place genuinely special is that no two pieces are quite the same.

On Saturdays, you can book a one-hour handicraft workshop where local ladies will teach you to make your own necklace, earrings or bracelet using the same materials they work with daily. Classes are tailored to what you'd like to make, and all materials are supplied.

Book your Saturday class through their Facebook or Instagram pages and drop in any other day (9 am to 5:50 pm, Monday to Friday or 1 pm to 5:30 pm, Saturday) to browse and shop.

Trust us, the peacefulness of using nothing but the wind to glide over Majuro's flat lagoon waters is a unique serenity. WAAN Aelõñ in Majel (Canoes of the Marshall Islands) offers this experience, as well as a small museum at their Majuro canoe house.

Step inside the museum to find detailed mock-ups of traditional canoes, along with displays showing how they were crafted using pandanus-woven sails and sennit rope made from coconut fibre. A guide is usually on hand to walk you through the exhibits, though you're equally welcome to explore at your own pace if they're tied up (no pun intended).

Then, take it a step further with a 30-minute traditional canoe sail on the Majuro Lagoon, departing from near the harbour. The sail is peaceful, unhurried and genuinely memorable; up to 12 people can join, though solo visitors are welcome too.

Entry to the museum is completely free. Canoe rides are very affordable. Book ahead by calling to arrange a time, Monday to Friday. Note that rides depend on the tide and wind conditions.

Every atoll has its main inhabited island, but it is the smaller outer islets that can feel like another world. Swap roads and buildings for coconut palms, quiet lagoon views and, with a little luck, a hammock with nobody else competing for it.

From Majuro Atoll, day trips can take you to Eneko, Enemanit and Bokanbotin, where there are plenty of peaceful corners for swimming, reading or doing absolutely nothing. Some picnic areas even have hammocks and simple seating, so you can enjoy the beach without spending the rest of the day brushing sand out of places sand should never reach.

Take lunch, drinking water and anything else you need for the day, then settle in and let the lagoon provide the entertainment.

Location: Eneko, Enemanit and Bokanbotin islets, Majuro Atoll. Boat transfers and day trips depart from The Shoreline, Uliga, Majuro.

Price Range: $$

A day trip is relaxing, but staying overnight takes things to another level. Once the boats leave and the day-trippers disappear, the islet settles into proper Pacific silence, with little more than the lagoon, the palms and your accommodation for company.

For overwater bungalows, look to Bokanbotin Island Resort, while Bikendrik Island Resort offers a colourful beach house escape. Beran Island Resort on Ailinglaplap Atoll delivers all-inclusive luxury with watersports on tap, while Eneko Island Getaway proves that private-island serenity does not always require a private-island budget.

Whether you are chasing romance, remoteness or simply one night without traffic, this is one of the easiest ways to slow right down. See the 10 Best Hotels & Resorts in the Marshall Islands for more places to stay.

Location: Majuro and Ailinglaplap. Check out the link above for recommendations and their locations.

Price Range: $$-$$$$

Kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding do not have to involve racing across the water until your arms object. On the sheltered Majuro Lagoon, the experience is often the complete opposite, with little more than the dip of a paddle disturbing the silence.

Kin Iokwe Rentals hires solo and two-person kayaks plus paddleboards that you can take to your preferred launch spot around Majuro. Resorts may also have equipment available for guests, although supplies are usually limited, so it pays to ask before mentally claiming the only paddleboard.

Choose a calm stretch of lagoon, take your time and enjoy seeing the atoll from a quieter perspective. For rental details and places to launch, see The Guide to Kayaking & Paddleboarding in the Marshall Islands.

Location: See the link above for recommendations and their locations.

Price Range: $

Snorkelling can be surprisingly meditative when you are floating above coral gardens with little more to do than breathe, look and occasionally kick your fins. Beneath the Marshall Islands’ clear lagoon waters, colourful reef fish, giant clams and intricate corals provide a far better view than the bottom of a swimming pool.

Around Majuro Atoll, relaxing snorkelling spots include Bokanbotin, Enemanit, Eneko, Laura Beach and the airport snorkelling spot. Some require a boat trip, while others can be reached from shore, making it easy to choose between an island escape and a spontaneous dip.

Bring your own mask and snorkel where possible, check the conditions before entering and avoid swimming alone. Discover more tried-and-tested locations in The Best Snorkelling in Majuro: Top 5 Places to Snorkel.

Location: See recommendations and their locations in the link above.

Price Range: Free

Sometimes the most relaxing holiday activity is the one that requires absolutely no equipment, other than a comfortable chair and a book you have been meaning to finish since the airport.

Bikendrik Island Resort has what may be the most prestigious private library in the Marshall Islands, with collectors’ books, holiday guilty pleasures left behind by previous guests and a dedicated reading room decorated with works by Picasso. There is also, somewhat unexpectedly, artwork from the leader of the Third Reich (certainly one way to interrupt a peaceful chapter).

For reading with a little more local substance, visit the Alele Museum and Public Library. Its collection is a good starting point for learning about Marshallese history, culture, navigation and life across the atolls.

Location: Bikendrik Island Resort, Bikendrik Island, Majuro Atoll. Alele Museum and Public Library, Lagoon Road, Uliga, Majuro.

Price Range: Free

Few things slow the pace quite like a sunset drink, especially when the glass contains something you are unlikely to find anywhere else. Bōb Whisky is the Marshall Islands’ locally made pandanus spirit, with a smooth, sweet and earthy flavour that feels right at home beside the lagoon.

Try it in a cocktail at Jittak Likatu Bar & Grill, where the sunset does most of the decorating, or enjoy it neat if you want the pandanus flavour to come through properly. Despite the name, it is not technically whisky, but “pandanus spirit from the Marshall Islands” is hardly a downgrade.

You can also pick up a bottle from Happy Hands, Elefa Handicraft or selected shops around Majuro, turning a quiet sundowner into a souvenir as well.

Location: Check out locations to buy and try Bōb Whisky in the Traditional Marshallese Food & Drink: 10 Foods to Try.

Price Range: $$

After the pandanus whisky, balance can be restored with a peaceful church service (no judgment here).

Church is at the heart of Marshallese community life, with powerful singing, warm congregations and a strong sense of togetherness that can feel genuinely uplifting, whether or not you understand every word.

For the most relaxing experience, look to the small village churches along the road towards Laura Beach. These quieter congregations feel more intimate than the large churches in Uliga, with hymns and choral responses filling simple church halls surrounded by peaceful neighbourhoods.

Dress modestly, arrive a few minutes early and bring a little cash for the offering. See The Best Churches in the Marshall Islands for Visitors for service suggestions and visitor etiquette.

Location: See the link above for recommendations and their locations.

Price Range: Free